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Turn your computer into a hi-fi component  wirelessly

Wouldn't it be great if there was an easy way to take all of the music that you enjoy on your computer  from CDs and MP3s to streaming Internet radio  and send it to your trusty, big-rig stereo? And have it sound fantastic? Now there is. NAD's DAC 1 wireless digital-to-analog converter offers a simple solution that turns your computer into a high-quality audio source. Anything that you can listen to on your PC or Mac® can be digitally transmitted to your existing home theater or stereo. This two-piece DAC features point-to-point wireless technology that delivers uncompressed, full-bandwidth audio from your desktop or laptop to your home system to give you the best possible sound quality. And because it's a closed wireless system, you don't even need a Wi-Fi® network to use it.

The DAC 1's two-piece wireless design makes it easy to enjoy computer-based music on your home audio system.

Simple to set up. Easy to use.

Right from the box, the DAC 1 is ready to play in just moments. Simply plug the included transmitter module into a USB port on your computer, and the DAC 1 essentially becomes your PC's sound card. The transmitter bypasses all of the analog circuitry in your PC and transmits a digital signal directly to the receiver module that's connected to your hi-fi system. The digital signal then gets converted and sent as an analog signal to your stereo amplifier. The DAC 1 uses premium digital and carefully selected passive components in a proprietary circuit for incredibly musical sound. It also sports a coaxial digital output that allows downstream digital processing by a different DAC or home theater receiver.

Turn 1s and 0s into sweet sounding music

Why buy a separate DAC? These devices are all about getting true high-fidelity sound from digital sources like computers, streaming music players, smartphones, and more. While these kinds of sources usually have their own digital-to-analog converters built in, you can expect a separate DAC to give you much better accuracy and finer detail.

Product Research

Features

Overview: The NAD DAC 1 Wireless USB Digital-to-Analog Converter lets
you wirelessly stream music from your computer (PC/Mac) to your Hi-Fi stereo system with high performance sound. The NAD
DAC 1 uses point-to-point 2.4GHz wireless technology which means you can just
plug in the two-piece DAC 1 and start enjoying computer audio from your home
entertainment system in minutes.

Note: There are Channel switches (1-3) on the Receiver and
Transmitter. Make sure these switches are set to the same number.

Wireless USB DAC Transmitter: The DAC 1's Transmitter
consists of a mini-USB (type-B) connector with a mini-USB (type-B) to USB
(type-A) adapter cable. Using the included USB cable, the DAC 1's Transmitter
plugs into your computer's USB (type-A) port and bypasses all the analog circuitry in your PC
and then wirelessly transmits audio directly to the DAC 1's Receiver, which is
connected to your hi-fi system, using the native digital format for the best
possible sound.

Wireless USB DAC Receiver: The DAC 1's Receiver consists of a
integrated Digital-to-Analog Converter with analog & digital audio outputs. Once the wireless audio is received at the DAC 1's Receiver from the DAC 1's
Transmitter, the digital signal is converted and sent as an analog signal to
your home receiver through stereo analog audio outputs. There is also a coax
digital output that allows downstream digital processing.

24-Bit/192kHz DAC: To achieve the best possible sound, the DAC 1's
Transmitter digitally transmits the audio from your Mac or PC to the DAC 1's
Receiver, which then converts the digital signal to analog using premium
Burr-Brown OPAmps (TI PCM1781) and 24-bit/192kHz DACs with selected passive
components in a proprietary circuit.

Dimensions

DAC Receiver:

W = 5.5"

H = 2.0"

D = 3.8125"

Wireless Transmitter:

W = 1.5"

H = 0.625"

D = 3.25"

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to
find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research
team. They verify what’s in the box, check the owner's manual, and record
dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies
to help people make informed choices.

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GREAT little gizmo

This NAD wireless DAC does everything it claims to- streaming CD quality sound directly from your computer to your home audio system without a glitch. I was a bit skeptical at first, expecting a somewhat compromised sound from such a diminutive and inexpensive unit, but man was I surprised. What I heard was just a few millimeters off from the CD and if I hadn't done an A/B test, I might not have been aware of the difference. Unless you have a significant number of high def audio files stored on your machine, this is ALL you need. If you are a high def connoisseur, the NAD wireless DAC 2 will no doubt do the trick for you. Highly recommended- I now have 2 of them, one going to the living room and another to my high end system.

Really Happy

After reading through the various reviews I was concerned about how easy to use or effective the DAC 1 would be. As it was bundled with my new NAD Integrated Amplifier I wasn't to concerned if it didn't perform to the standards I expect from NAD. I was already contemplating a future purchase of the NAD C 446 Digital Media Tuner, but it's totally not necessary now. With the DAC 1 everything from my computer/internet is now being played with great clarity through my NAD Amplifer, without any interruptions or interference to my Wi-Fi.

NAD DAC 1

I tried it with 2 different WIFI networks in different locations, plugged into same type of Dell 660 desktop with the same network card DW-1056. In one case it worked w/o any problems in another it consistently killed WiFi connection in 5 seconds. NAD adviced me to get longer USB cable. I tested 3 ft cable and the WIFI connection held. However, the music would sometimes pause for several seconds. Also sometimes there was scratching sound from the speakers while music was playing. I could hear this when streaming Pandora, paying CD in PC and playing MP3 file. So it looks like the problem is in DAC itself. Crutchfield gives away this DAC for free when you buy NAD integrated amp. However I spend several hours trying to make it work, etc.

The jury is still out...

This product does what it is intended to do, but, it doesn't do it consistently. I'm not saying it doesn't work, just not reliably. I love the idea of streaming from the computer, but I think the technology may not quite be there yet... Since beginning to use it, I've noticed that I've had to occasionally reload the webpage, and our wi-fi has become intermittent. These weren't issues prior to using the NAD DAC...I've tried to select different channels (there are 3 of them) to see if it made a difference, but no luck. I'm not sure if I will keep or return the product, though I'm planning to discuss with Crutchfield to resolve the issues before returning.

Crutchfield is awesome - I've been their customer for over 20 years and appreciate their expertise, patience, and customer service.

Serves it's purpose well but nothing great!

This device, for someone like me who likes to explore different kinds of music and artists, is a must. There is no discernible lag from laptop/desktop to my hi-fi system. If you have interference issues, you can switch between the different channels this devices operates on. I feel that for their original MSRP they could have used 5 GHz band instead of the universally used 2.4 GHz band. The MSRP for this device is ridiculous. No wonder they decided to drop the price. The Audioengine W3, its main competitor, costs less and there is really no added benefit to the extra money you put down for this one. I also don't like the fact that they advertise it as having a 24/192 DAC, which truthfully it does, but is useless since the transmission is only done at a maximum of 16/44.1. The 24/192 DAC in the receiver is neither an upsampling DAC nor can it be used with sources other than the transmitter for one to take advantage of it (there are no digital ins). The only difference between the W3 and this device is the optical out on the receiver that lets you use and external DAC. Otherwise, the transmission itself works smoothky most of the time and the unit is well built.

If only it didn't drop out

I read the reviews about the issue of wifi signal interference, dropouts, etc. But I thought it had to be an isolated issue. My NAD amp is so... SO awesome... there's no way this product would let me down. But it does. When the dongle is plugged in, it slows down my Internet connection to the point I can't really do much. And it cuts out frequently enough it's a problem. I submitted a trouble ticket to NAD and even spoke with one of their tech people. He said this isn't a prevalent issue--that he's only had two calls on it. Strange, because every online review I see mentions it.

When it's not dropping out, the sound is pretty decent. A few complex passages tripped it up, but overall, I would say it's excellent in the sound category. Too bad its other issues are insurmountable. This one's going back. NAD, you let me down on this one.

NAD DAC 1

The sound is wonderful. We have enjoyed listening to streaming audio from the Internet and played over our ... NAD ... stereo system. The problems began shortly after installation, however. My Internet connection banged out unceremoniously. Yes, I read the reviews and knew that could be a problem. But, I have wireless N and a wireless N router, right? Should be on 5GHz, no problem. No, it's on the 2.4GHz band and it is a major problem. The short USB cable didn't get the transmitter anywhere far enough from my iMac's wireless radio transmitter ... Bang. Dead.

Through a great deal of trial, like selecting each of the 3 positions on the NAD transmitter, then going through an Internet speedtest, I found that position 3 on the transmitter box and channel 10 would provide the best Internet throughput and the least disruption of the wireless network to that computer. The hassle of installation is now a smaller problem, but realistically NAD should choose a different wavelength to transmit on rather than the most common wavelength of wireless networks!

Pros:Sound quality is excellent. Very few drops in streaming, once you establish a good connection that won't bang out the wireless network. I was able to find a longer USB cable in my junk box. Getting the transmitter several feet away from the computer helped stabilize the wireless network most of the time.

Cons:The wireless network issues can be frustrating. When I called Crutchfield tech support, the answer that I received was, "Bummer. You bought a product that transmits on the same frequency as your wireless network. Sorry about that." I'm quite certain that I'm not the first person to have this problem, and some things that worked for other folks might have been helpful.

Works wonderfully

wonderful product. Excellent sound. First one didn't work for some reason, red lights all the time. Crutch field tech and service process easy. Returned and received replacement that works flawlessly. Love this product and appreciate Crutchfield service.

WOW! DOUBLE WOW!

I purchased the NAD DAC-1 based solely upon the Crutchfield reviews I read. For many-many years, I have used a complete computer system as a jukebox to play my ever-growing MP3 collection. A typical setup would include an old Macintosh computer complete with monitor, keyboard and mouse. The fun was figuring out how to locate the aforementioned hardware with one of my four NAD integrated amplifiers without creating a monstrous array of equipment. By-the-way, I love NAD equipment!

Setup is quite easy, as long as you remember to go to the sound control panel on your computer, and set the output to head phones. A blue light on both parts of the NAD provided equipment means you have a ready network. Don't worry about the need for inline sight. It's not necessary. The quality of sound is excellent.

My only suggestion for improvement would be a lower cost second receiver to be placed with a second sound system, or a third sound system, or as is the case in my life - a fourth sound system.

Pros:Quality sound distribution without the need for hard wiring to the amplifier.

no distance

Works well, but only when few feet away. You have to be close enough that it would almost be easier to plug in a wire. My cordless phone and airport extreme are located in the same room as my stereo, both reach my computer (one room over), but the nad does not. Im too lazy to return, but I should; it does not even come close to doing what I needed it to do. However, when close enough, it sounds good.; hence one star.

Great Product! Can't find a mistake with NAD yet, lol!

Don't know why it didn't work well for some of the people on this review but it works very well for me. Get the right RCA cables such as Audioquest G-snake and u should be happy. The sound quality is so good that I'm mad that i didn't know about this product. Will blame it on Crutchfield lol, only kidding. If you have a computer and already have a home theatre system, u don't need speakers for your computer; get these and you're all good.

works....most of the time

This item works as advertised but occasionally knocks out the internet connection. The browser will freeze up and if you're streaming audio that will stop as it tries to rebuffer. If you unplug the usb cable for this unit the connection quickly re-establishes but if you leave it plugged in you will get a internet connectivity error message. Called Crutchfield for an RMA label. 8 minutes on hold with annoyinglly loud recorded messages and poor quality hold music. Service rep wanted me to troubleshot with support - no thanks, this item should work fine as my computer was & is working great with out it. I'll wait for the next generation model.

Works!

This device works exactly as advertised. It allows me to transmit streaming radio from my computer to one of my stereo outfits in another room, and listen to MP3 and Wave files on a stereo system that doesn't have a USB port. Now, some reviews complained that the sound was a bit thin. I found that the sound out of the box was quite satisfactory, but it really opened up when I added a little Chinese tube buffer between the DAC receiver and the pre-amp. You might try that! Anyway, while hard-core audiophiles will probably be more satisfied with a vastly more expensive unit, this serves my purposes admirably. A steal for the price! And, of course, NO ONE has better customer service than Crutchfield.

Pros:Easy to set up, silent, musical, effective.

Cons:Slightly inconvenient to have to switch between sound cards (the DAC and an M-Audio internal) to redirect the sound from the computer speakers to the stereo in another room (facilitated with a desktop shortcut), and it causes a slight buzz at times with a cordless phone (I just unplug the transmitter during phone calls). Nothing serious!

I'm sticking with wires.

I was satisfied with the sound quality. The product works as advertised, and the wireless transmission did not introduce any static or noise. However, I ended up returning the product because I found that it slowed down my internet browser. The problem was sporadic, but occurred often enough to concern me. The problem occurred even at times when I was not playing music or producing any sound output. The browser would jam up, and then start working again when I unplugged the NAD DAC1.

Plug and play, sounds good

Was a little skeptical about it at first. Product comes in a box with a simple diagram of how to use it on the box, but no documentation inside. Was instantly recognized by my PC as "USB headphones," but was not clear how to get it to work with my J. River Media Center v. 17 with anything other than Direct Sound or WAV out (which limits sound quality). After some digging, tried ASIO4ALL (free software), which recognizes the "USB headphones," and will play to them. With it set up that way, sounds pretty good playing WAVs from my computer. Sends signal from my computer about 40 feet to a utility closet where my amp is, going through several plaster walls, a brick wall and a wall with a fridge and oven in it. I was worried about interference from my router/WAP and cordless phones, all in the same room as the NAD emitter, but no problems so far.

Pros:Very simple, sounds good, pretty good range.

Cons:Poor, well no, documentation, no online support at NAD, have to research to find out how to use ASIO for it.